Good Night, Maria
by Oombala
Summary: One shot AU. Pairing is pretty obvious if you squint. She wanted to protect her owner from all dangers, but she can't stop anything that comes from the heart. Rated T for mentions of alcohol.


This is just a quick AU one shot. Nothing too special, just something I thought was worth my time.

* * *

Good Night, Maria

"When were you going to tell me about this?" She asked. I stood in the dark hallway, unsure as I listened to them talk.

"I didn't think it was a problem until now. I'm going to start working on it," he said, his voice low and rough.

"I don't know if I can believe you after what you did. I know your past was rough. I know you've done things you're not proud of. But you told me you wouldn't do things like that anymore and you even hid it from me. I understand that it was once and I know you didn't mean it, but it happened. You keep telling me that I can trust you and that it won't happen again. You said it was a mistake. And now you're telling me that this all happened because you drink when you're upset? Until you black out? I'm sorry but that's not what I want in a relationship."

"Please, I'm sorry. What about all the things we talked about? Having a family? Building a future together? I thought we were going to be together forever," he never sounded like this. He was a quiet and sharp strength. He never showed his emotions. He was a rock.

"I used to laugh when people just hoped to not fuck up relationships," she said, laughing despite her words. "Now I understand what they meant."

"No, please. Please."

"I'm sorry. Respect my decision."

When she closed the door behind her, I heard nothing. But then I heard a quiet sobbing. I crept around the corner, trying to avoid disturbing the man she left behind. He looked after her, biting his lip. He lifted his head a little bit, catching my shadow in his gaze.

"She said it's over," he said, his eyes meeting my own. He sighed, his breath shuddering as he seemed to sink inward, his shoulders folding forward and his head lowering in toward his knees. I watched as he cried, trying to comfort him as I knew she would the rare times he was upset. I gave him kisses and I nuzzled his shoulder. He reached over and pulled me to him, hugging me tightly, his small arms deceptively strong. It was uncomfortable but I let him do it.

"She said she would try to forgive me, but I guess it just couldn't happen," he whispered, pulling away. He smiled at me, tears still pouring down his face. I kissed them away. He'd been sad for a while, holding on to something, the love and the promises he'd shared with her. I knew what he'd done, he'd told me and asked me for advice I couldn't give. I knew she told him that maybe there was a chance. I held on to that hope as much as he did.

"Maybe she's right. I need to take care of this, I need to do what's best for me first," he said, finally sinking to the floor, holding me even tighter. I looked at the door, waiting for her to come back. I wished, but the door never moved.

Slowly but surely he stood. Sighing, he made his way to the bedroom, hugging the pillow he bought for her. I followed him, snuggling into him as he lay down, resting my head on his chest. I listened to his breathing, at first it was strangled, wet with emotions he never wore. Eventually he fell asleep.

* * *

One night, I pulled myself away from him when I heard the front door ease open. I padded out into the hallway, finding myself in front of the door and her.

"Hey," she whispered, squatting down to meet my gaze. "I'm sorry I got you caught up in all of this." I pushed into her hand, trying to communicate to her what he couldn't. He loves you.

"I'm just here to get some of my stuff, don't make too much noise, okay?" She said, putting a finger to her lips before kissing my cheek. She tip toed past the kitchen into the living room, collecting the discs with her name written in cursive over the top. It didn't take her long, he was obsessive about keeping things clean. Her bright hair glowing in the darkness as she moved quickly around the apartment gathering her things. I watched her for a bit longer before I returned to his room.

"She's here isn't she?" he whispered. I was startled, my foggy vision catching his silhouette against the moonlit curtains. He sat alertly, staring at the door I'd come through. "She's here."

He stood, making his way out of bed when I heard all noise in the living room stop. She knew he was awake. I chased after him, he was fast despite the heavy feelings he carried. I saw them facing each other again.

"I'm sorry I came in uninvited. I just planned to gather some of my stuff and to leave this for you," she said, holding up the key he'd given her when he first bought the new apartment.

"No, no, it's okay," he replied. He reached out to her and she stared back at him. He walked toward her, pulling her into a hug. "I still love you."

"Thank you," she said, kissing his cheek before pushing away from him and leaving.

He lay awake for the rest of the night, his eyes searching for something in the shadows that I couldn't see. I kept him warm, whimpering a little when I thought about how I loved her almost as much as I love him.

"It's okay, Maria. She'll be back. Maybe not to stay like she used to, but she'll come back to see you and me. We're still friends."

I waited for her to come back. She was the only person he cared about. She was the only person who could make him smile.

* * *

When she finally did I was so happy to see her. It had been a long time. She'd brought a stranger.

"Hey!" she smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "This is Erwin," she said, pulling the man in by his arm. She noticed my tail going wild and laughed. "Erwin, meet Maria. Maria, meet Erwin." I looked up at him, gauging him.

"Hey there," Erwin said, reaching down to pet me. I let him, he was not a bad person, but he was not the one I loved. I looked at her, wondering why she brought this Erwin person home to us. "And you must be Maria's owner," he said, exchanging greetings.

"That's right. Nice to meet you, Erwin. She's told me all about you, she said you're great friends," the forced painful smile he wore warped his expression, speaking more than he ever would. He never smiled for anyone but her.

"Likewise," Erwin said in response. "Shall we get going then? The rest of the guys are going to meet us there," he said.

"Of course."

"You'll love Hanji," she said. "She's hilarious." The door closed behind them.

I never met this Hanji. The last time I saw Erwin was when they brought him home that same night.

"You told me you were working on this," she said sadly. She tucked him into bed, Erwin standing in the doorway, waiting for her to say goodbye. She kissed his forehead and stood. Erwin followed her and they walked toward the door. Erwin pat me on the head as he walked by walked out the door as she doubled back and squatted down next to me.

"Good night, Maria," she said, hugging me and kissing the side of my snout.

"I love you."

* * *

This is pretty vague, but if you look, it's pretty obvious who I wrote this about.

Anyway, thanks for reading this, I really appreciate it!


End file.
